I have seen it MANY times on TV and have always wanted to go. Now, it's just a few miles down the road from my hotel, but closes well before I would ever have a chance to get there. I have already consigned myself to the fact that I won't get to see it. It just pisses me off as this is the closest I have ever gotten.

This is part of what sucks about being on the road. Sometimes, there is only enough time to get there, do what you are suppose to do, and get back. You never get to see or do anything else, period.

San Jose, California is the where one of the most unusual houses in the world calls home. The 160 room house is a jumble of twists and turns, dead ends and doors to nowhere. It is the result of thirty-eight years of nonstop construction with no more of a blueprint than the whim of the house's owner.

Sarah Winchester was the wife of the heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune, William Winchester. They had one child, a daughter, Annie, who died about one month after her birth. William died approximately 15 years later of tuberculosis. Mrs. Winchester, deeply distraught over both deaths, consulted a medium for guidance. This is where the fun starts.

The medium, rather than giving a message of a comforting nature, told Sarah that her family was cursed by the spirits of all those killed by Winchester rifles. These spirits had taken the lives of her husband and daughter as a revenge. The only thing that would pacify these tormented, and tormenting, souls would be to purchase a house and build on it continually. If Sarah did as the spirits directed, she could escape them. Apparently, the medium also gave Sarah the impression that if the construction ceased, so would Sarah's life. Make sense to you? Me neither! It made sense to Sarah, though, which is why I'm able to write about this.

In 1884, Sarah bought a house in San Jose and immediately set to using her $20,000,000 inheritance to fund nonstop additions. There were people working on the house twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year until the day she died, thirty eight years after construction began. Sarah was responsible for the architectural design of the additions, which includes doors that open to 8 foot drops, staircases that rise to nowhere but the ceiling, switchback staircases with two inch steps, and a room that has a window in the floor. Theories abound as to why Sarah constructed the house in this fashion. A common one seems to be that it was her intention to confuse the spirits that were after her. A more outlandish one is that she had a seance every night to learn what the spirits wished. Most sources I read stated that the house has a "seance room", but some claimed it a bit of legend. The most down-to-earth theories are: 1) The house looks like that because she was not an architect and had no idea how to design a house. 2) The house looks like that becuase the woman was completely out of her gourd.Here are some statistics about the house:

The guy that started Winchester firearms. Thats his house, I don't remember his name, but if I remember correctly, the wife was haunted by spirits of the people that were killed by winchester guns. She had to keep adding on to the house to keep the spirits happy? Lots of strange places in the house, like the pic of the stairs that go no where.

I went through there several years ago. Definitely worth the tour, very well done craftsmanship and good background BS. The Winchester (?) microbrewery in town used to be worth several visits too...

She was the Winchester widow with tons of money. She was scared of all the ghosts of Winchester firearm victims, and believed that ghosts would only inhabit a completed house. She had workers going all day and night for many years to trick the superstitous ghosts. She also wanted to trick the dumber ghosts with stairs going into nowhere, doors opening to the outdoors from upstairs, many things in quantities of 13 and 7(?), etc.

On that note, and about thirty miles south of there, what's the deal with the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot? I know what it is, has anyone been there? Fraud, or worth the admission fee to make you scratch your head?

Originally Posted By Manic_Moran:On that note, and about thirty miles south of there, what's the deal with the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot? I know what it is, has anyone been there? Fraud, or worth the admission fee to make you scratch your head?

The best part is on the way out.There are cabinets in the middle of two walkways.I was on the right and when the guy on the left stuck his head inside.I BANGED it as hard as I could.Scared to crap out of him!!!

"We need to hit these terrorists hard. Every place over there is a 'Holy Site'! Screw that! The most holy site in the world is an elementary school full of kids on the first day of class, and those animals desecrated one."

Originally Posted By gunman0:I guess if someone took a level and a tape measure, it'd ruin the fun.

I'm sure plenty of people believe that there is some supernatural cause, even when told it is all just an optical illusion.

There's another spot like that somewhere in the Bay Area called Gravity Hill. Same thing happens, but according to some people (and I don't believe this), if you dust your car with flour before you do it, you'll find handprints on it afterwards.

"Her parents must have a dowry out for her. She comes with horses and 2 bales of hay." - daisywench

Originally Posted By thompsondd: ...Sarah Winchester was the wife of the heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune, William Winchester.....The medium, ...., told Sarah that her family was cursed by the spirits of all those killed by Winchester rifles. These spirits had taken the lives of her husband and daughter as a revenge. The only thing that would pacify these tormented, and tormenting, souls would be to purchase a house and build on it continually. If Sarah did as the spirits directed, she could escape them. Apparently, the medium also gave Sarah the impression that if the construction ceased, so would Sarah's life. Make sense to you? Me neither! It made sense to Sarah, though, which is why I'm able to write about this....

See what happens when you take nice productive New England people and move them out to Kalifornia.

Y'know I've been past that place a hundred times and never went. Maybe I will pony up next time I go and take the tour.

Usually during Halloween we like to go the the Haunted Whorehouse in Port Costa. It is not a theme attraction, it is an actual brothel that looks like it did in the 1800s. The interior is completely as it was including creaking boards, exposed live light fixtures and 200 lb silver wall mirrors. From the outside is looks like it is abandoned and delapidated (it is) and the inside isn't much better. I was surprised we were even allowed in. Good times. You haven't met a ghost until you've met a hooker's! Besides, there is a killer bar next to it...

NorCal

"I would love to fix your 15 year bad marriage in 20 minutes, but my Frappuchino is melting folks!"

The Winchester Mystery House is a pretty fun afternoon adventure. I've been 4~5 times over the years (I live off of Wnichester Blvd, about 10 miles south) and the gun collection is totally cool.I've never stopped at the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, I'm usually flying by there in "full race" mode.

I agree..........The Winchester House is a sight to see, sure California has some sorry ridiculous laws when it comes to Gun laws and PC ways of life. But the sights are interesting, and plenty of history across the state.

I've been to the Winchester House. There's a lot of picture worthy things inside. They have a room with stuff worth over x amount million dollars. There's staircases that lead to nothing, doors that open to walls, etc. The house is very large and at the end they tell you how many miles you've walked. I don't remember how many we walked.

I took some pictures inside and got some weird things back in them. I had a friend send them to one of those sites that examines them for "unnatural" things and they found something in one of the pictures. If I can ever find it again, I'll post it. I don't know how reliable that stuff is and all, but still...

There's a rifle museumish thing off to the side of the house and a gift shop there as well. (no, there are no guns in the gift shop)

I've also been to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, CA. I have a book on all the different mystery spots around the world, but I stopped reading for now because it got all sciencey on me.

It was very weird.... There's a hill you walk up to get to the house itself, which you feel like you're leaning a certain direction when going up the hill. Once you get into the house itself, things lean a certain way for no reason whatsoever...even the people.

We went up there and some people's cameras and watches stopped working. Why? I don't know, but they said it's not uncommon. I think the whole story about how the house got there is BS, but the gravitational thing itself is not. (IMO)

There were a few people who said they were feeling lightheaded etc when they went up to the Mystery Spot as well.